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Hanging in the Balance (Challenge IV Prelude, Chapter 7)
Previous Prelude chapters:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Hanging in the Balance
Small Council by skaforhire, on Flickr
Dugal sat with his arms crossed. This small council meeting was not going well. This was one of the various small councils, where a few of the High Lords met with a group of Low Lords in order to make decisions for the different regions of Kaliphlin. Most of the time the High Lords did not even make these meetings, as the real lifting happened in the High Lord Council. Dugal was only in Petraea because of the emergency council meeting that was scheduled for that night. This meeting was made up of some of the western lords of Kaliphlin, but the only high lords in attendance were Gideon, Bain Ba’Elder or , Kyban Wh'Ali of Khar'dek and himself. Kyban, was currently serving as the Lord Protector of the Council, so he was the only person besides the guards allowed to have a weapon in the building. It was actually a good turnout of high lords, even if it was mandatory that Kyban attend due to his position.
Most of the minor lords had left already, but Bain had just taken the floor, and would probably not yield for some time. He always complained about Eastgate’s control of the Red River, and did not like the taxes placed on merchants from his town upstream. So he was usually an enemy of the MacLeans, but Dugal had not seen him in a while. It was surprising that he began to talk about something else.
“I wish to call for a fund to help the westlands rebuild from the Great Disturbance.”
Melki O’teel, one of Bain’s lower lord lackeys seconded the motion and began to talk about some of the building efforts East of his village.
Earthquake In Kaliphlin by BrickCurve, on Flickr
(Thank You BrickCurve!)
Earthquake In Kaliphlin by BrickCurve, on Flickr
It seemed that efforts were beginning quickly, as it had only been a few weeks. But, the odd thing about the story was that Sea People troops were going around the countryside helping rebuild damaged towns. That was odd. Melki droned on.
Dugal almost lost track of his surroundings, thinking of ways in which GEAR Co. could help, and still make a profit… after they get Eastgate back from his brother Petera, that is. However, he snapped back into the present when he heard Bain’s next talking point.
DSC_3845 by skaforhire, on Flickr
“I move to send a motion to the High Council to take Eastgate’s supply of Kaliphlin Guild troops away. The siege there has taken much of our guild’s resources over the last year, and it is still a stalemate, even after a victory for Lord Dugal at the Wither Woods! Let him use his own troops.!” He was cheered by his cronies, but that was almost half the table. Even Gais Elmor, a once proud member of GEAR Co. sat in silence, seemingly pondering the resolution.
“This is ridiculous.” Dugal said. “We must apply pressure to Eastgate, we cannot let Petera escape – he is more powerful than his master, Revolword!”
“So you say,” Bain said. “But Petera has never actually threatened anything but your birthright! He has yet to threaten any part of the rest of Kaliphlin.”
“Except Queencross!” Lady Kylee protested. “He sent the assassin to kill Dugal and stop the Army! Then he aided the enemy against Paulos during the battle of Queenscross! He is a danger to us all.” Dugal was glad his wife’s friend had taken her father’s seat on the low council, she would be a good ally.
DSC_1514 by skaforhire, on Flickr
“We only know half of that is true, and still, living in the past will only doom us. There are real threats, present threats before us. These Ulandians or Sea People that Phlici has told us about, the Desert King, and worst of all, the Great Disturbance’s aftermath,” Bain stated.
Lady Phlici tried to interject here and disagree that her new friends were not a threat – now that was a weird situation that would have to be addressed—but Bain continued over her.
DSC_3847 by skaforhire, on Flickr
He directed his attack directly at Dugal, meeting his eyes. “You have one of the most powerful personal armies in Historica at your command, yet you have not been able to take Eastgate. You even have Guild troops at your disposal, and perhaps the most powerful army in Historica, Lord DaMaximus’s army with you at Eastgate. You should have broken your brother by now!”
“We are close.” Dugal said, he did not want to divulge any secret information, he knew an attack was coming in the next few weeks, but he had no idea if Bain would warn Petera or not.
At this point Gideon interrupted Bain who was about to continue. “Perhaps we should let this matter rest while we talk about the Sea People and the Desert King. After all, we are not sure we need an army for either side – they have not threatened anyone yet. “
DSC_3841 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Bain snarled, “They might not be an immediate risk, but let me tell you about South Sandstruck. This Kaliphlin town, and others that are too small to have strong standing forces are being hit every day! Warlords that do not give their allegiance to Kaliphlin and Flagg prey on those who pay their dues to our guild! That is what we need the troops for, and who knows, maybe even in time we will need them against the Sea People!”
Sandstruck by South Sandstruck, on Flickr by Nice Marmot!
Again Lady Phlici began to object, but she was cut off by screaming in the hall.
“FLAGG IS DEAD! DEXTRUS FLAGG IS DEAD!”
The small council broke up, and Dugal headed toward the commotion.

For the story, see the first thread about the War of the Brothers
The call for arms and the challenge are open to ALL guilds.
PART ONE: A CALL TO ARMS – The Battle of the Wither Woods
The battle of the Wither woods is coming. Dugal and Petera both need help to defeat the other. Which side will you choose? These battles will be fought in the same manner as the Battle of Queens Cross and the Battle of Khordeem. Meaning, you sign up your hero or squad, and I try to replicate them and get them into the battle. This Call to Arms is only for the first battle, the Battle of the Wither Woods. When you sign up, state the men you are sending and which brother they are supporting. Remember, Dugal fights for the Historica of present, while Petera fights for the Valkarian Order’s desire for a new stronger Historica.
How this works:
Basically, the battle will be fought out as a wargame, using rules that my brother and I have been working on for a LONG time. (This is also a playtest for us.) It will take a few days to get all the way through, but should prove to be epic.
The plan is simple. The call has gone out by raven , magic and other means to the far ends of Historica. Help is needed at the upcoming battle in the Wither Woods. If you wish to join the battle, send your small troop by mage, boat, or land to either North Avalonia (Petera) or Eastgate (Dugal). Some may make it for the start of the battle, and others might join in the thick of it as reinforcements.
Anyone that signs up while the battle is still going, we will try to get into the battle.
All we need is a pledge of men (1-10, although 10 may be hard to represent on the battlefield; the ideal number is squads of 5). I will try to represent your figures as closely as possible, but it might be hard to accurately represent some heroes or your actual men’s uniforms. (we can always chalk it up to artist’s interpretation)
We will then give your men (or women!) stats and bring them into battle. They will then fight in the battle to see if they can help win it for their side. If your hero or your men are known for a certain weapon style or ability, include it in your pledge. We will try to accommodate this in your character’s stats. You may want to also show us a picture of who you are sending, if you want us to try and replicate them.
WARNING: The soldiers you send may die – if you send a hero, you might want to tell us you would prefer they fell wounded or are likely to retreat. It is all luck of the dice (much like the tournaments that have been held)
The battle won’t start until Later in May, but I will keep checking the forums for new recruits and can add people all the way until the battle is done. So if you don’t make it before the battle, sign up at any point during the battle.
Anyway, I hope some of you will heed one of the brothers calls, and join them to defeat the other.
Post below your men and who you are pledging to help.
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The contest thread has been moved to here. The text is the same as below though.
PART TWO: Bringing the pain
We are going to try something new this time around; we are going to have other people “build” weapons of war that will be used in both battles. The builders will build LDD models that we can use the show construction mode on. (Alternatively, a builder could photograph “instructions” to participate in this battle). Then, we will build some of these models for the battles.
This is what you have to do:
Create a separate thread for your weapon of war, then link it in a post on the registry thread.
The title tag for the LDD contest is {WotB}
In your thread you should have a completed picture of the siege weapon.
You should have the capability to email us the design or “print” it. (Links to this material in your thread are highly appreciated!)
You can add story to your weapon (maybe what company / person built it, etc…) You can also tell us what side you hope will use your weapon (Petera or Dugal’s). Is it a one of a kind weapon that has special properties? Or could there be multiple on the battle field?
There are two categories, and each builder can enter both up to three times.
The first category is Field Pieces. These will be used at the Battle of the Wither Woods. This battle will most likely take place in a lightly wooded area, but overall very few fortifications will be present on the field. The weapons can range from catapult to ballista, from twirling death machine to cow crusher… the limits are endless, other than it really should not be a siege engine.
The second category is Siege Engines. These should be the heavy duty battle machines that are designed to take down walls, assault fortresses, and get men in close to fight the enemy. The siege engines will be used later on in the year at the Battle for Eastgate. One caveat -- the portion of the battle portrayed at the end of summer will be an invasion from the sea... So, any siege weapons that fold up nicely, may have the upper hand in the judging. (MAY HAVE)
Specifications:
Since we are going to try and build these, we are going to set a 400 piece limit. You don’t have to use 400 pieces, you can use fewer. We just won’t be able to build anything larger than 400 pieces.
The one thing I do not have in my collection is a lot of technic gears and pieces, staying away from these would increase the chances of seeing your weapon in built form during the battle. However, containing many technic pieces won’t hurt your chance of winning.
Just like the call to arms, anybody in the Guilds of Historica can participate.
Deadline:
Field Pieces: May 15th
Siege Engines: September 30th
The winner of each category will be forever known as Artillery Captain of Eastgate or Siege Commander of Eastgate

The War of the Brothers (Call to Arms AND a LDD Contest See next topic)
This is the story thread, the call to arms and challenge is in thread two.
Backstory:
In the New City district of Eastgate, Dugal’s entourage and one of DaMaximus’s generals Herondle meet to discuss how to bring the Siege of Eastgate to an end. Herondle had just come back from a mission to Ximus, so he was unfamiliar with history that led his master’s army to this point. Dugal explained it to him in brief:
eastgate by skaforhire, on Flickr
The Free City of Eastgate had been ruled by its first Lord Dugal MacLean for five years before it swore allegiance to Kaliphlin in 101 AH. Dugal had gone on a few adventures, leaving Petera, the Second Lord of Eastgate and Dugals first brother in charge of the city. Unbeknownst to most of the population of Historica, Petera , a powerful mage, had been apprenticed to Victor Revolword a few years before becoming the Second Lord of Eastgate.
When the Revolword war broke out, Dugal, Petera, and Paulos (the third brother) fought in the resistance against the destroyer of Historica and his elemental forces. Dugal was preparing to lead one of Historica’s main defenses against Revolword’s men at Queens Cross, but was assassinated on a scouting mission. At the Battle of Queenscross, Paulos took charge and won a narrow victory.
Meanwhile, back in Eastgate, Petera , now First Lord, had erected a magical dome to protect the city from elementals. However, rumors soon surfaced that Petera had been behind the death of his brother. Assassins also struck at Paulos, but he was able to avoid death. A secret message from Dugal arrived to the High Council of Kaliphlin, asking for their support beyond the grave. Lord DaMaximus was to siege Eastgate and put it back in the hands of the merchant council, while defeating Petera. Others, such as Masa and Ageven were to save Merith, Dugal’s Fiance, by secretly removing her from Eastgate.
After Merith’s escape, Petera became openly hostile to Paulos, while still keeping the city open to trading with most of Historica. DaMaximus laid siege to Eastgate, taking the New City area (the portion of the city outside of the walls) and sieging the heavily fortified Old City. Still, Petera was able to supply the city through magical portals, despite Paulos’s agents trying to stop this resupply. At the same time, Masa led the effort to bring Dugal back from the dead. They succeeded, and after another attempt on Dugal’s life, they were now here, in the New City district planning a final assault on Petera and Old Eastgate. It would have to come down to an assault because all attempts to starve the enemy out had been thwarted by Petera’s ability to create magical gates to resupply points.
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Dugal and Paulos
Dugal looked to Paulos, and said “What about a diversion?”
DSC_0928 by skaforhire, on Flickr
All three men in the room knew that the last three attempts on the Old City walls were met with failure. Petera appeared on the parapets himself to fend off the attackers. He hurled lightning from his fists and turned the ground outside the city to molten lava in places. Many men had already died in the siege attempts, and now it was time to do something more clever.
“What did you have in mind? “ Paulos asked.
DSC_0938 by skaforhire, on Flickr
“We split the forces up and try to siege the Inner Bastion (the portion of the old city across the Red River) and the main city from three different points. Then, we lead two strike forces into the heard of the Old City, one will take out the Mage Cabal that controls the Eastgate College of Magic and Navigation. The other will take out GEAR headquarters, and hopefully Petera. “ Dugal drew his plan up on the map.
Herondle looked at the map before him, “that might just work.” He said.
<iframe src="https://www.flickr.c...stream/player/" width="640" height="640" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>
“Well, unless we have a better plan I think this is our next…” Dugal was cut off by a messenger running into the room.
“My Lords, grave news! Petera has reinforcements marching South from Avalonia on the Oil Road.” The man said, nearly out of breath.
“We will have to put this plan on hold,” Dugal said. “We must meet these new troops in battle away from the city, as far as possible. I do not want to be sandwiched between Petera on a perch throwing down the elements and whatever this new army has.”
“Agreed” Herondle said. “I will hold the bare minimum of a siege force here, and you lead your forces north to fight this battle.”
“We will need to call for more allies around Historica.”
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Petera
Meanwhile… inside the Old City Walls of Eastgate
DSC_0929 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Petera looked to Elden Logan, the current Second Lord of Eastgate. The Logan family had been quick to ally with him once he revealed his plan. Elden’s family was guaranteed positions on the Merchant’s Council once Eastgate had been secured and his rule was recognized by the other Lords of Kaliphlin.
“If Dugal is really back from the dead, do you not worry that the people of Eastgate that have chosen you will see him as the First Lord still?” Elden muttered. “I mean, you still have not proved that you can call the Golden Axe of Eastgate.” That had been the one thing that he could not do, it belonged to the rightful ruler of the city, and its enchantment had prevented him from calling it. Even when Dugal was dead, the axe never appeared to Petera.
DSC_0934 by skaforhire, on Flickr
“ I can call it just fine.” Petera said. “I have to wait until the right time, in front of my people.” He turned to the matter at hand. “I must use the rift circle to invite our Avalonian guests here. He turned and began to incant. Soon, the glyph on the floor glowed, and a portal to a wooded clearing appeared. A moment later a an Elf and two humans came through the portal.
“Lord Baldwin, Duke Tyweld, and Lord Eldris, so good to you to have joined us. We may be the last of the Order left in this part of the globe.” Petera said. He was referring to the Valkarian Order, a group set up to bring Historica into a golden age. Petera had been initiated into the order by Victor Revolword before Victor went mad with power.
The Valkarian Order had been created over 300 years ago, and was instrumental in establishing Historica about 104 years ago. Since then the order had gone dormant. That was until about ten years ago when powerful and just nobles began disappearing. This included Dugal and Petera’s own father. In fact, that is how his brother became First Lord of Eastgate to begin with. All over Historica nobles, including the second to last king, had disappeared without a trace. The power void caused by the missing leaders led to corruption in all of the guilds and a weak king in Cedrica. The order came back together and was determined to install real leaders in all of the guilds and the capital. There were even desires to take over Varlyio and other continents beyond for the glory of Historica.
Then Victor went crazy. At first the Valkarian Order sided with him, his power play would bring order out of the chaos. But it had become evident that Victor desired power for himself over glory for Historica. Petera had supported Victor until the man finally went mad. Victor had supplied the Spear of Horris to Petera in order to kill and trap his brother. Petera knew that Dugal was part of the old regime, and could never accept what had to be done in Historica to bring glory and strength to the nation. Killing Dugal and taking over Eastgate may have been Victor’s idea, but Petera could see the sense in it.
Petera never thought Dugal would return though. Now they had to do the job all over again.
“What news of your brother?” asked Lord Baldwin. He was a minor border lord in Avalonia, but he had a lot of men. They were conveniently not fighting the dark elves at the moment.
“Well, if he is out there, I am sure he wants the city back. That is why you all are bringing your army south. We will crush the siege against the walls of Eastgate and the war will be won.” Petera Said.
“your war.” Eldris said dryly. “We have failed to turn the Revolword incident into a significant change for Historica.” It was odd having an elf there, Eldris’s clan were one of the few elf clans you intermarried with humans frequently, they also had been an important factor in regional politics for as long as Kaliphlin had existed. They were based on the plains between North Kaliphlin and East Avalonia. Eldris was a wizard also, but much less powerful than Petera, although he had ancient magic, which was always dangerous.
“Once things are settled here, we can begin our plan to take the throne again. We will have to rebuild armies, and the Order will need Eastgate’s army and navy if we are to secure Kaliphlin in the New Historica.” Petera replied. Without a king, many in the Valkarian order wanted to march on Cedrica to claim a seat of power. Petera agreed, but knew that he must hold on to his city in order to have a position on the new Council of Cedrica. A new king would be crowned, and he would be one of the Kingmakers. First, to take care of Dugal.
“I will meet you in two weeks’ time to open the portal for our Mitgardian and Nocturnan allies.” Petera said.
“ Why not portal everyone to the woods outside of the city, they would have no warning.” Duke Tyweld said. Tyweld was a very wealthy Avalonian, wealthy enough to pay the Drow to fight for him in this most recent conflict in Avalonia. Schooled in strategy he was not…
“We need to spread the men sieging this place thin. They will leave half of their army here, the other half will march north, and we will be able to crush each half one at a time.” Eldris answered. “The more powerful Alleenridders of Mpya Stedor will likely stay here, while the other MacLean leads an army north.” This should not be hard, these two armies were severely beat up during the Revolword War.
“Sounds like a plan,” Baldwin chipped in.
“Now is a good time to call those who may be willing to join the Valkarian Order to the field.” Petera said. The three men agreed.
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And for that reason, there would be two battles on the horizon.
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The build for this is a WIP that I probably will not finish. It was supposed to be four scenes, the two talking scenes above, and two scenes of Petera's history. Unfortunately, it has sat for a while and I need to get moving with other things. Plus, the battle for the Wither Woods is going to happen in a little over a month, so I had to introduce the Call to Arms and the LDD challenge sooner rather than later.
DSC_0925 by skaforhire, on Flickr

Raising the Dead Part V: The Battle of the Pit (part one)
If you missed the beginning:
Slaughter at Sultan's Rock
Raising the Dead Part I Collecting the Pieces
Raising the Dead Part II Retracing our steps
Raising the Dead Part III Family Heirloom
Raising the Dead Part IV: Preparing the Potion
BOOOOM!!!! The earth shook and the heroes were thrown in all directions. The earth boiled over, making glass instantly, and in some places the desert felt… alive…
DSC_0845 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Paulos looked around, he had been thrown against Sultan’s Rock, and his helmet had been knocked off. There were… Tenticles!?!?! Coming out of the ground? A large rift had opened and a doorway stood below them deep in the trench but against Sultan’s Rock.
DSC_0844 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Was that… Dugal?
DSC_0842 by skaforhire, on Flickr
The others began to recover too. Paulos looked around, everyone seemed to be moving. However, there was no sign of Sergio. Paulos tried to remember if had had gone ahead to scout…
DSC_0847 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Paulos thought he definitely had a concussion… as he peered over towards Cannondale, Al’Meter had hobbled up next to the bodyguard. In a blink of an eye, an elf in shimmering silver armor and jet black hair appeared next to Al’Meter, this was not one of Al’Meter’s regular bodyguards…. That was Arcannon!
DSC_0848 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Al’Meter began to heal Cannondale, while Merith got up holding her head. At first she looked into the pit and yelled with glee, but it soon turned to horror, as she saw what came out behind Dugal. Fire Elementals.
DSC_0851 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Paulos grabbed his helmet, and his weapons and tossed his short sword down to his mostly naked brother. “This will have to do!” He yelled down to him.
DSC_0857 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Masa shouted over the rift, “I have to get Yesil to Safety! He is hurt bad!” Or great, Paulos thought… the one guy that might be able to control these elementals is leaving.
DSC_0850 by skaforhire, on Flickr
The fire elementals started to come up the rift, but at the top of the cliff, Paulos’ body guards, the Eastgate troops, began to rain down arrows. Some even began to scale down the cliff the help.
DSC_0860 by skaforhire, on Flickr
DSC_0861 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Arcannon ordered his brother, the shaken up Cannondale, and Merith to get out of there, as he turned towards the pit.
DSC_0863 by skaforhire, on Flickr
DSC_0866 by skaforhire, on Flickr
The Battle of the Pit was on.
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DSC_0826 by skaforhire, on Flickr

Raising the Dead Part IV: Preparing the Potion.
If you missed the beginning:
Slaughter at Sultan's Rock
Raising the Dead Part I Collecting the Pieces
Raising the Dead Part II Retracing our steps
Raising the Dead Part III Family Heirloom
DSC_0890 by skaforhire, on Flickr
After gathering all the pieces needed to cast the spell to bring Dugal Back, the heroes stood upon a lonely beat up watchtower near the spot of Dugal’s death, just outside of Queenscross a few miles.
DSC_0883 by skaforhire, on Flickr
“Excellent, the spear that killed Dugal has been melted down in this vile, and the potion to open the door to the underworld is completed in this vile. “ Masa said, “What is the last step Yesil?”
The Grelf nodded towards Sultan’s rock, a large cliff formation in to the west. “Go to the the exact spot of his death, we must. On ground pour two vile, we will do.”
“Well, we are burning daylight – let’s do this!” Paulos said.
DSC_0894 by skaforhire, on Flickr
“I must caution you that this would be a terrible idea.” Came a voice from behind them.
Paulos, Sergio, Merith, Yesil, and Masa turned around to see a somewhat familiar face.
“You are a long way from the Withered Wood, Lord Cresentthorn.” Said Paulos.
“How the heck did you get up here without using the door?” said Sergio.
Two of his guards silently hopped up over the wall of the tower. “We elves hold many secrets.” Al’Meter Cresentthorn said. Al’Meter was the leader of the Cresenthorn Elves. – one of the larger groups of elves in Kaliphlin, and longtime trading partners with GEAR Co.
“As I said, you should not do this.” Al’Meter removed his hood. “You risk opening up something terrible.”
DSC_0896 by skaforhire, on Flickr
“We are brinigng back Dugal” Merith said, “ there is nothing terrible about that.”
“But it may not only be Dugal that you bring back. If you open that gate, it may stay open.” Al’Meter said. “You may let in things long dead that Historica has not seen in eons.
At this point Yesil interjected. “ Lived long I have, and to exist I know this magic. Seen it work, I have, and nobody except the intended deceased came back. Herh herh herh.”
“Do not make the mistake of thinking you are the only ancient being on this watchtower.” Al’Meter said as the sun beat down on his white hair. “ Grelves and elves may have parted ways long ago, but we know of the same sort of magics. This is a kind of magic that is dead to Historica, and should remain dead.”
Yesil was silent, but Masa took the initiative. “I believe we need Dugal back, and we can deal with the consequences. “
“You do not know what you are saying. You have much to learn young immortal.” Al’Meter said. “However, short of summoning my brother Arcannon to dispatch all of you, I do not think there is a way to dissuade a lost love, a mourning brother, and a pack of loyal friends. “ He looked at Masa, “I will accompany you to the spot and observe.”
As they made their way down the steps of the watchtower, Sergio said to Paulos: “ I do not think Arcannon is even alive any more, but do you think that he would have called him here if he was?”
Merith spoke from behind them, “Who is Arcannon?”
Paulos said, “Arcannon was the legendary fighter, thought to be one of, if not the, greatest elven fighter of all time. It is said that he perished during the War to Forge Historica. His blood was used to forge the Kings Scepter. I am pretty sure he is dead… And no, I do not think Al’Meter would waste his brother’s time on us.”
They made their way to Sultan’s Rock, where a makeshift shrine to Dugal was lain. Masa didn’t bring any ceremony to the ritual, he walked up and poured the two vials together on the spot where Dugal had died.
The earth began to rumble.
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A few more shots of the scene:
DSC_0899 by skaforhire, on Flickr
The tower,
DSC_0885 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Kaliphlin guards (who were kicked out of their watchtower for this meeting) catch a nap under the makeshift shelter (Yeah, that could have been done better, but my tent fell apart. that the Heroes brought. A centaur guard also enjoys the shade. In the background, Eastgate troops tend to the horses.
DSC_0892 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Another view from above, as Cannondale and a few other personal guards man the door.

Raising the Dead – Family Heirloom (Community Story Build)
Paulos had a long trip back from Mpya Stedor. It was a good party, but the celebration was bitter sweet when he knew what lay ahead. He was on his way back to Queens Cross in order to pick up an item that he had hid there since before the battle. This item, the spear that killed his brother Dugal, was important evidence that he would bring before the Merchants Council at Eastgate to damn his brother Petera for his participation in Dugal’s murder.
Petera was now First Lord of Eastgate, the ruler of the city and the controller of its armies and fleet. He was also the CEO of GEAR CO, one of the most powerful trading companies in Historica. Paulos had a tough task ahead of him, but Petera must pay.
He arrived at the house of the former noble Lord Pastroo. Pastroo had fought against Paulos at Queenscross, and after the battle, Paulos had him executed for treason. Petera had sent out a warrant for Paulos’s arrest after that, claiming that he had “no authority to murder a high noble.” Paulos knew that he would have to retake the city by force, and he had enlisted Lord DaMaximus and his armies to help him in this task. Currently DaMaximus lay siege to Eastgate’s Old City. Although, not much progress had been made according to reports.
Inside the house he was shocked. The two guards that he had left to “guard the house” (They didn’t know the spear was hidden here) were brutally murdered and laying on the floor in the grand hall. Paulos checked under the floor boards and found that the spear was missing! He panicked.
At that moment there was a knock on the door to the room. Paulos turned to find a Grelf standing in the door way. “Come in, I must.” He said. “Yesil, I am Yesil, and Paulos Maclean, you are. Yeesssssss.” He introduced himself. Paulos knew a little of the Grelf from what Dugal had briefly mentioned.
DSC_0382 by skaforhire, on Flickr
“The spear that killed your brother, you have. Masa Of Kaliphlin needs it.”
“I am afraid I cannot help, as the spear has been taken from this place, and I do not know by whom.” Paulos Said.
The Grelf gave a subtle smirk and start to hum, about a minute later his eyes went wide and he said:
“Your brother, Petera, has the spear. Your guards his men killed, and to hide the spear from all who wish to use it he intends. Die, you must retrieve the spear or Dugal will. “
“Dugal is already dead!” Paulos said.
Yesil responded, in an almost rehearsed manner, “Death is but a sleep so deep. But of essence time is. For should the soul of the dead this life forget, there can be awakening no more.”
“So, what does the spear have to do with Dugal’s resurrection?” Paulos asked.
“One of the four ingredients required to bring Dugal back from the next world, the spear is. Obtain it, you must.
Paulos sighed. “I am going to need allies.”
So it was that Paulos sent messages to the four corners of Historica asking for heroes to come to Eastgate and help him take back his home and find the spear that slayed Dugal.
Like the firstand second plot lines, this is a community build. All three plot lines will merge together in an attempt to bring Dugal back from the dead.
In this plotline, the builders will be completing MOCs that have to do with the Civil War that is going on within Eastgate.
Volunteers will join Paulos’s side in trying to locate the spear within Eastgate. MOCs for this storyline will be more combat oriented, as there are two large armies facing off in this siege. There will be a series of tasks given by me to the volunteers. They will represent missions within Eastgate or its surroundings.
Once the task is MOCed, then the builder will receive one point. That point represents how many men the builder will be able to field for the final battle of the siege. Builders will be able to complete many tasks in order to build up their army, but points will not be given by to builds that are considered rushed or incomplete (Judged by Masa and Myself, we will ask a non-participant to be a tie breaker) Of course, the bigger the army, the more glory there is to be had in the final battle of the Siege of Eastgate. I will run that siege similar to how the Battle of Queens Cross was run.
Finally, the top three builders with the most points by the end date of this plotline will be asked to build a MOC representing their characters finding the Spear. The three builds will be put up for a GOH-wide vote for the best build. The winner would have bragging rights and be considered a Hero of Eastgate.
So what we need is volunteers. I will start giving tasks on the 20th of August, but you can sign up for this plotline as late as September 15th. The first few tasks will be the same for everyone, but those who complete the first three will start to get more customized missions. The end date for this plotline is October15th.
I will answer any questions or clarify whatever you need. I hope many of you will join us on this plotline, the first plotline, or the second plotline.
Or... All three, there is no limit how many plots you participate in, If you have the time to build for each, go ahead and sign up for all three.

With the war behind her, Merith was accepting her new life without Dugal. Through the clever actions of some of Dugal’s close friends, she had been snuck out of Eastgate and brought to Varlyrio for her safety. Through kind donations by the Charities of Mpya Stedor, she had raised enough money to create a monument to Dugal. Instead, she thought it better to honor his memory by constructing the Home for Orphans of the Revolword War. After all, he technically owed Dextrus Flagg two orphanages from when he swore allegiance – She though paying his debt would be a good way to honor him. Varlyrio’s Capital Illaryian provided a perfect place far from the combat, where the orphans would be safe. However, the city is at is bursting at its seams, and real-estate – especially new floating platforms – was at a premium. So she decided to buy a couple old buildings and have them converted.
home by skaforhire, on Flickr
Merith picked an old merchant’s warehouse and headquarters and had the men of GEAR Co. begin construction. Unfortunately, they found that one of the platforms needed major repair to the floatation devices underneath it. This set her back a pretty penny. Luckily, she had made friends. Dania, a Varlyrian noble and Kylee a Cedrican Lady, and also a refuge. The three women pulled their money together and finally were able to get the project started.
DSC_0363 by skaforhire, on Flickr
This is how life had been for a few months, gathering orphans and repairing the new orphanage; however, today something different happened. A man that Merith had met a few times showed up on a small boat. It was Cannondale, the man of few words. He handed her a chest and said “These are Dugal’s possessions; Paulos wanted you to have them.” He gave the ladies a farewell, and said that he could not stay because his ship back to Eastgate was leaving within the hour.
DSC_0355 by skaforhire, on Flickr
Merith quickly open the chest after he had left. Inside she could smell the familiar sent of Dugal, her eyes welled up with tears. She took out a few maps, a journal, and finally, at the bottom, there was a letter. A letter addressed to her!
DSC_0374 by skaforhire, on Flickr
She opened it up immediately, but it was not from Dugal. It was from some person named Yesil.
“If you love Dugal, heed my words, you will. Way to bring him back, there is. Working on raising his father from the dead before he died, was he. On a long journey, this is why he was, you on the journey he met.
“Needed to bring him back from the dead, four items are. The spear that killed him, the first is, which fetch, your brother-in-law will. The kiss of life, the second item is, which get, another will. Wilverdragon's tooth, the third is, and already set that part in motion, your fiancé has. To obtain the angel's tear, your task is. Have to retrace Dugal's steps in order to find this item, you will. To find this last item use his journal, but need help from others, you will.
“Time is of the essence; no one knows how long his soul has after death. You must meet at the location of Dugal’s death within a few months if you are to succeed. You must go immediately. Of the essence, time is; after death, no one knows how long his soul has. You must meet at the location of Dugal's death within a few months if, to succeed, you are. Go immediately, you must. “
Merith told her friends of what her plan was – Immediately book passage to Historica in order to pick up where Dugal left off. She asked the ladies to stay and oversee the completion of the orphanage Dania agreed, but Kylee refused to be left out of the action. Merith also knew that she would need help in this journey – she would have to call upon the other heroes of Historica to aid her in her quest. So it was that the two ladies would set out to find the Angel’s Tear, and retrace the steps.
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Like the first plot line, this is a community build. All three plot lines will merge together in an attempt to bring Dugal back from the dead.
In this plotline, we will be retracing Dugal’s voyage that happened two years back. Each build in this thread will depict a before and after MOC. The first MOC is Dugal first attempting a task in the past. The second MOC (which does not have to be totally different) should represent the present – your character completing the task, and succeeding in finding a clue to where the Angel’s Tear is. Your present MOC could include Merith and Kylee if you want. I will have the first quest MOCed next week as an example, but I will pass the torch off to the first volunteer.
At the end of your story, you should send the next builder in line a task. For example, if the first task is to capture the heart of a Minotaur. Once the characters have completed it, the builder would name the next quest. The next builder in line would build their interpretation of the quest when Dugal attempted it, and a present attempt at the quest by their character or Merith. Depending on how many people volunteer, we will see how many different quests each builder will build.
My avatar is Dugal, and this pic below is Merith (Blue Dress) and Kylee.
DSC_0375 by skaforhire, on Flickr
You can substitute whatever you need to represent them. Remember, at the end Merith will need to find the Angel’s Tear, so we need to keep following Dugal’s path until we get there.
If you would like to participate in this plotline (and you can do multiple plotlines if you like), please volunteer by August 17th enrollment in this build quest line is open indefinitely. Although, we can probably add a few more people after this date depending on turnout.
I will answer any questions or clarify whatever you need. I hope many of you will join us on this plotline, the first plotline, or the third plotline.
Or... All three, there is no limit how many plots you participate in, If you have the time to build for each, go ahead and sign up for all three.